Rat Ogres, Old World, and Other Stuff

Finishing these two Rat Ogres marks the end of my two-month long Skaven focus.

 

Skaven engineering is always so much fun to convert and paint. These two models bring me to an even 10 Rat Ogres. 

 

Aside from a few odd character models (I still have a Deathmaster Snikch that I could paint) or adding even more Clanrats and Plague Monks (there are so many spare parts in my parts box), I think this puts the lid on my Skaven army.

Especially since GW apparently seems determined to never add anything new to the Skaven range– The latest Old World article said that Skaven will not be focused on, and they have only released two new Skaven models since Age of Sigmar began eight years ago. (And no, Underworlds warbands don't count, since you can't build regular units out of them, and they're not worth fielding as-is in a full army.) Don't get me wrong– They're all beautiful models, but for me they're just conversion fodder for characters and unit champions. And neither the Underworlds models nor the new Age of Sigmar heroes really add anything new; they are just updates of already existing character types.

I want to see new unit types, or at least updates of old metal units that desperately need them. More Eschen-themed units added to the army so you could build a diverse, Eschen-focused army would be something I could definitely get behind. Considering GW's current level of design, sculpting, and plastic engineering, some crazy new Clan Skryre contraptions or Moulder monstrosities would look amazing. But, until something like that comes along, there's not a whole lot more that I can add to my little Under-Empire. But if there ever is a Skaven range expansion, I'll be there with bells on!

It's a little disappointing to read that the Vampire Counts won't be in the spotlight either in The Old World. But I can't complain too much since we have essentially gotten a (nearly) complete range update with the Soulblight Gravelords release (and I still have to paint most of that new stuff). We'll see what the Vampire Counts army list looks like when the game releases, but I'll use this as an opportunity to build up my Tomb Kings army. Over the years, I've made a handful of models for it, but my focus has really been on my vampire and necromancer driven Legion of the Infernal Skull. I always had plans to build out a desert-themed Khemri army, and it looks like now will be the prefect opportunity.

I finally got around to painting the Dyregoyles from Cursed City. You may remember them from my tutorial for making stone bases:

 

 

However, I ended up cutting away most of those stones so they could fit on a 25mm base. Looking through the rules again, I realized that they are not static objectives, but models that are set up during some of the crisis events in the game, similar to the Gnawbone Strays, so I put them on proper bases. I like to reserve the un-based stones for scenic elements.

 

 

 

 

This month, I also worked on a not-quite-hobby project. A misjudgement of distance resulted in some scrapes and paint chips on the car's bumper. Rather than take it to the body shop and pay hundreds of dollars for such a minor repair, I decided to do the touch-up myself. Every car's VIN sticker contains a code for the factory paint color, and you can order it online in spray can form. Then, all it takes is a lot of sanding, some body filler to smooth over the paint chips, more sanding, spray primer and the matched color spray, a final gloss spray, and a vigorous rub of compound and polish. Honestly, the most difficult part was waiting for a few days in a row without rain!

I found a fantastic tutorial on YouTube that walks through the steps and contains links for all the materials required, including where to match the factory color:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EiAN6oa_oY&list=WL&index=1

It worked like a charm! Here's the before and after:

 

 

'Til next time!